For example, because portability is emphasized for mobile telephones, in most cases, they are not equipped with pointing devices such as a mouse, trackball, or the like. For this reason, compared to personal computers and the like that are equipped with a pointing device, mobile telephones offer poor operability for selecting icons and the like displayed on a screen. In order to resolve such problems related to operability, for example, in Japanese published unexamined application 2004-179870, it is described that multiple icons are displayed in the same arrangement as a ten-keypad, and in addition to starting up the icon in the same arrangement position as a ten-key that is held down, the corresponding numbers of the ten-keys are displayed over each icon. Moreover, in Japanese published unexamined application 2005-216170, as shown in FIG. 4 of this bulletin, it is described that when a displayed image on a mobile telephone is divided into an identical 4×3 matrix form as the key arrangement, a “Game startup” function as well as a key assigned to a position corresponding to block B (4, 3) are allocated to a “Tree” object OBJ4 positioned at block B (4, 3), and when this key is held down, the object OBJ4 is selected and a game is started up.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an information-processing device including: multiple keys; a memory that stores key arrangement data indicating an arrangement of said multiple keys; an identification part that identifies each display position of multiple windows displayed on a screen; an allocation part that compares an arrangement of the windows obtained by comparing the display position of each window identified by said identification part with the arrangement of keys displayed by said key arrangement data, and uniquely allocates to said each window a key for selecting the relevant window from among said multiple keys so that the arrangement of said windows and the arrangement of said keys are identical or similar; a notifying part that notifies of the keys allocated by said allocation part; and a selection part that selects the window to which an operated key is allocated when any of the keys notified by said notifying part is operated.
Incidentally, using the inventions described in the above-mentioned patent literature, the selection of a single window from among multiple windows displayed on a screen may be considered. However, unlike the icons described in Japanese published unexamined application 2004-179870 or the objects described in Japanese published unexamined application 2005-216170, the windows may be freely changed by the user for size and position on the screen. For this reason, for example, as with the icons described in Japanese published unexamined application 2004-179870, by adopting a composition in which multiple windows are displayed on a screen in an identical arrangement as a ten-keypad, it becomes necessary to change the user-configured sizes and positions of the windows. At each time, the user configures the size and/or position of each window for personal usability, and therefore, when those configurations are changed automatically, it becomes troublesome as it requires the user to restore the configurations for personal usability. Moreover, as with the objects described in Japanese published unexamined application 2005-216170, if the composition is one in which ten-keys are allocated in advance to the windows, if the position and/or size is changed, the correlation between the positions of the windows on the screen and the ten-keypad arrangement is lost, thereby making it difficult to know which of the ten-keys to press and causing a decrease in operability.
The present invention is implemented in light of the context described above, and its aim is to enable the selection of a single window from among multiple windows displayed on a screen without equipping a pointing device and without causing a decrease in usability or operability.
A first aspect of this embodiment of the present invention provides an information-processing device that includes: multiple keys; a memory that stores key arrangement data indicating an arrangement of said multiple keys; an identification part that identifies each display position of multiple windows displayed on a screen; an allocation part that compares an arrangement of the windows obtained by comparing the display position of each window identified by said identification part with the arrangement of keys displayed by said key arrangement data, and uniquely allocates to said each window a key for selecting the relevant window from among said multiple keys so that the arrangement of said windows and the arrangement of said keys are identical or similar; a notifying part that notifies of the keys allocated by said allocation part; and a selection part that selects the window to which an operated key is allocated when any of the keys notified by said notifying part is operated.
According to an aspect of this embodiment, the information-processing device compares the arrangement of windows displayed on the screen with the arrangement of keys indicated by the key arrangement data, and allocates to each window a key for selecting the relevant window so that the arrangement of windows and the arrangement of keys are identical or similar.
In addition, said identification part may have a composition in which the display position of each window excludes windows with dialogue rights from among the windows displayed on the screen.
Moreover, said notifying part may have a composition in which, for each window displayed on the screen, an image indicating the key allocated to the relevant window by said allocation part is superimposed and displayed over the relevant window.
Moreover, it may be a composition including an illuminator that illuminates each key of said multiple keys, wherein said notifying part controls said illuminator, and from among said multiple keys, lights the illumination of the key allocated to said each window by said allocation part.
Moreover, it may be a composition including: a determination part that determines whether or not the number of windows displayed on the screen exceeds the number of allocatable keys indicated by said key arrangement data; and a sectioning part that, if said determination part determines there is an excess, sections the screen into multiple regions so that windows of a quantity equal to or less than the number of said allocatable keys are included within a single region, wherein said allocation part allocates a key to each region sectioned by said sectioning part.
Moreover, it may be a composition including: a determination part that determines whether or not the number of windows displayed on the screen exceeds the number of allocatable keys indicated by said key arrangement data; and a configuration part that, if said determination part determines there is an excess, configures a partial region including windows of a quantity equal to or less than the number of said allocatable keys, wherein said allocation part allocates a key to each window displayed within the partial region configured by said configuration part.
Moreover, another aspect of this embodiment of the present invention provides an information-processing device including: multiple keys; a memory that stores key arrangement data indicating an arrangement of said multiple keys; an identification part that identifies each display position of multiple windows displayed on a screen; a retaining part that compares an arrangement of the windows obtained by comparing the display position of each window identified by said identification part with the arrangement of keys indicated by said key arrangement data and, if the arrangement of said windows and the arrangement of said keys are different, retains the display position of said each window; a sorting part that sorts the display position of said each window according to the arrangement of said keys; an allocation part that compares the arrangement of windows after the sorting by said sorting part with the arrangement of said keys, and uniquely allocates to said each window a key for selecting the relevant window from among said multiple keys so that the relevant two arrangements are identical or similar; a notifying part that notifies of the keys allocated by said allocation part; a selection part that selects the window to which an operated key is allocated when any of the keys notified by said notifying part is operated; and a restoration part that, after the selection by said selection part, returns the display position of said each window to the display position of each window retained by said retaining part.
According to an aspect of this embodiment, if the arrangement of the windows displayed on the screen is different from the arrangement of keys indicated by the key arrangement data, upon sorting the display position of each window according to the arrangement of keys, the information-processing device allocates to each window a key for selecting the relevant window so that the arrangement of windows after sorting and the arrangement of keys are identical or similar.
Moreover, in another perspective, the present invention provides a program for causing a computer to realize: an identification function that identifies the display position of each of multiple windows displayed on a screen; an allocation function that compares an arrangement of the windows obtained by comparing the display position of each window identified by said identification function with an arrangement of keys indicated by key arrangement data stored in a memory, and uniquely allocates to said each window a key for selecting the relevant window from among the multiple keys indicated by said key arrangement data; a notifying function that notifies of the keys allocated by said allocation function; and a selection function that selects the window to which an operated key is allocated when any of the keys notified by said notifying function is operated.
Moreover, in yet another perspective, the present invention provides a program for causing a computer to realize: an identification function that identifies the display position of each of multiple windows displayed on a screen; a retaining function that compares an arrangement of the windows obtained by comparing the display position of each window identified by said identification function with an arrangement of keys indicated by key arrangement data stored in a memory and, if the arrangement of said windows and the arrangement of said keys are different, retains the display position of said each window; a sorting function that sorts the display position of said each window according to the arrangement of said keys; an allocation function that compares the arrangement of windows after the sorting by said sorting function with the arrangement of said keys, and uniquely allocates to said each window a key for selecting the relevant window from among multiple keys indicated by said key arrangement data so that the relevant two arrangements are identical or similar; a notifying function that notifies of the keys allocated by said allocation function; a selection function that selects the window to which an operated key is allocated when any of the keys notified by said notifying function is operated; and a restoration function that, after the selection by said selection function, returns the display position of said each window to the display position of each window retained by said retaining function.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a single window may be selected from among multiple windows displayed on a screen without equipping a pointing device and without causing a decrease in usability or operability.